Does anyone know a magic formula by which we can get happiness ? We all want to be happy. But many of us are not sure how to get there. If someone starts an online Happiness Certificate course, then many of us may want to join that.
Happiness is an outcome but outcomes are mostly beyond our control. But there is a way out. This article will give you the roadmap on how to achieve happiness without focusing on the outcomes of your actions.
Just to highlight that outcomes are not always within our control, here is what can happen between a husband and wife.
People have three basic methods of perceiving the world around them. There are Visual people who respond better to colorful things and pictures etc Auditory people respond better to voice and sound. The Touchy-Feely people respond better to touch and feel.
A husband is trying to please his wife. So he sends her a bouquet of flowers once a week.
But she is an auditory person and she likes to HEAR things. Outcome was not what the husband had expected.
Another husband call his wife every day from office and says “I love you, darling”.
Here the wife is a TOUCHY-FEELY type and loves being hugged or touched. Again, the outcome was not what the husband had expected.
In the case of a desperate husband, he hugs and kisses his wife every time he leaves home and when he comes back from office.
Unfortunately for him, the wife is a VISUAL type. One can see from the picture that she was not quite pleased. It is obvious that the husband must have slept on the sofa that night and escaped to office on Monday morning.
In chasing happiness, we are particularly obsessed with if I had this then I would be happy. If I had that then I would be happy.
That is a IF..Then model of life. As the picture shows we all have our List of Wishes. But we can not keep postponing happiness till our wishes are met. The way out from this cycle is to enjoy the process and the journey rather than the outcome or the fruits of our efforts.
Well, that’s what Gita has been teaching for thousands of years. The concept is called Nishkaam Karma ie an action performed without any expectation of fruits of our action.
Here is the Law Of The Karma as applied to Happiness. That is why it is said that achieving a goal of happiness is a journey. It is not a destination. Enjoy the ride and everything on the way. In short “Nishkaam Karma” is really the road to happiness.
THE TAKEAWAY
Seeking happiness can be a much more enjoyable journey with the mindset of Nishkaam Karma which teaches us to live fully in the present and not worry about outcomes of tomorrow. Living In the moment is the key. This can hardly be expressed better than lyrics from the Bollywood song by Sahir Ludhianvi from the film Waqt
Who knows about tomorrow ? All you have is just this moment. Seize it and live in this moment before it passes away.
No better way to live a fuller life than to remain aware of this eternal truth of life.